Niger J Clin Pract
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Most educational institutions in Nigeria were shut down for a long while at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as a preventive measure, and this affected dental students' academic and clinical training. ⋯ Most undergraduate students in Nigeria were anxious about COVID-19, and females were more affected. This negatively impacted their academic and clinical training. This underscores the importance of adequate psychological support for undergraduate dental students by school authorities.
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Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is an anomaly with significant morbidity in neonates. It has been traditionally managed by an open approach with a recent trend toward a minimally invasive approach. ⋯ We recommend trimming the margin of the defect, use of prosthetic mesh overlay reinforcement for repairs under tension, and to prefer extra-corporeal knotting along with higher placement of trocar, temporary increase in CO2, maximal use of muscle relaxant, extra-corporeal corner hitch stitch to reduce the operating time, and recurrence after thoracoscopic CDH repair.
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Children suffering from epilepsy are maintained on antiepileptic drugs (AED) to ensure a reasonable quality of life. These drugs, however, are not without side effects. Notable among which is interference with the metabolism of folate with its attendant clinical implications such as megaloblastic anemia and bleeding diathesis. ⋯ The mean serum folate level in subjects was significantly lower than the value in controls; but was comparable in subjects on carbamazepine, phenobarbitone, and valproate as monotherapy. There was no correlation between the duration of AED use and mean serum folate levels.
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Hypothyroidism in children with nephrotic syndrome (NS) is often attributed to prolonged loss of thyroxine binding globulin and thyroid hormones alongside protein in the urine. It has been historically associated with steroid-resistant NS alone. However, recent evidence supports the fact that subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) does occur even in children with steroid responsive NS. Complications such as weight gain, hypercholesterolemia, delayed growth, delayed puberty, and depression could result from hypothyroidism and be erroneously attributed to NS, or the effect of steroid used in treatment. Incidentally salt intake, the major form of dietary iodine is often restricted in children with NS, possibly exacerbating any underlying hypothyroid state. ⋯ Screening of children for SCH with NS especially steroid-resistant NS and frequent relapsing steroid sensitive NS for hypothyroidism before complications arise is pertinent to their holistic management. This becomes even more imperative in our environment as iodine deficiency hypothyroidism is still prevalent in some parts of the country.
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Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a multifocal IgE-mediated type I hypersensitivity reaction involving nasal mucosa characterized by excessive sneezing, watery rhinorrhea, nasal itching, nasal stuffiness, and eyes itching. Tympanometry is a simple, rapid, and objective test that can be easily carried out. The use of tympanometry in clinical setting can improve detection of middle ear effusion and other middle ear abnormalities. AR has been found to be one of the predisposing factors to developing Otitis Media with Effusion (OME) in children. ⋯ Participants with AR were found to have more abnormalities of tympanometric parameters and higher prevalence of type B tympanogram suggesting OME than controls.